


Roadtrip

by Artenreichtum, JCmaple, Shevron



Series: Familylife [15]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Passion, Roadtrip, Trucks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:28:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23309929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artenreichtum/pseuds/Artenreichtum, https://archiveofourown.org/users/JCmaple/pseuds/JCmaple, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shevron/pseuds/Shevron
Summary: A story about a trucker and a little girl who has a passion for trucks.
Series: Familylife [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1603087
Kudos: 3





	Roadtrip

**Author's Note:**

> Abraham Maple (JCmaple) and Arten Reichtum had an interesting idea for a story which they played through in a chat.  
> I had the honor to convert the chat into a story.

Those long trips through the country could be a real pain in the ass, but they were paid well.  
Big cities were usually repulsive too, but luckily one of the most important highways through the city had an exit near the best place to take a break and with luck his beloved jackal could be there too.

Sadly it shouldn´t be…  
But he loves his stops there regardless.  
Friends, food and laughing.  
Everything you need for a relaxed evening.

He had parked his trailer in an industrial estate where he will get his load, but have to wait a while. That´s why he drove with his truck alone to the Lionheart Avenue.

The wolf had barely entered the tavern, when he was already greeted by a smiling Arten.  
“Hey Abe!  
You have the early-shift again?”

“Hey there!  
No, I had some time to kill since my trailer is to be loaded later today. So I thought: Why not come here and have a good meal before hitting the road for the next few days?”

For others the big grin on the lynx´ muzzle could have scared the shit out of others, but Abe did know he meant well.  
“What do you want? My treat.”

“OH! Really?  
Hmmmm….”  
He scratched his chin for a moment, before he snapped.  
“A good club-sandwich would do.”  
At the thought alone he had to lick his maw in anticipation.

With that the lynx did go into the kitchen.  
>Ah… Heck it! I´ll make one for me, too.<  
Only a few minutes later he came back into the tavern, carrying two plates with the desired sandwiches.

The wolf smiled at his friend and lifted his paw.  
“Thanks a bunch!”  
Arty gave Abe a paw-bump and set both plates down between them.  
“Sure thing. You help the world moving.”

He moaned with his first bite into his meal.  
“Delicious!  
So…  
How´s the little family doing?”  
“Well… Little Mike seems to be having caught the flu. So Silver will bring him to the doctor…  
It looks like today will be a Daughter-Daddy-day.”  
“Darn poor little thing. Speaking of Leah… Where is she?”  
“She should be here soon.”  
“I hope so… or else she will miss out on those clubs…”

The lynx nearly choked on a part of his own sandwich.  
“CLUBS??!!??  
What clubs???”  
Abe stared at Arten because the wolf did not expect Arten’s reaction.  
“There aren´t any!!! She´s just 5 years old!!”

Arten’s eyes showed pure panic while Abe’s grin grew to enormous proportions...  
“Arten… calm down…  
I wasn´t talking about those.”  
The wolf waved with his half-eaten sandwich in front of the lynx’s eyes.  
“Here!  
CLUB-sandwiches!  
I was talking about our meal!”  
“Huh?”  
Arten still did not understand  
“The food. Not some shady club.”  
“Oh… okay?”

With a grin Abe took another bite.  
“The last time I saw her she was so happy to see my truck. Too bad I was in a hurry…”  
“Yeah… She ‘honked’ and ‘Vroomed’ all day.”  
Arten grinned at that cute reminder.  
The wolf had to chuckle.  
“I even brought her an orange toy-truck.”  
Arten took a big bite too.  
“I couldn´t resist her pleading look… It was like two big pools of promised sadness, if I would have said no. You had to see her.  
She can´t have that look from me.”

Abraham laughed and covered his maw to prevent his food from flying around.  
“Well…My trailer won´t be loaded until later this afternoon and there´s also the pro-billing for the load, so I might be able to give her a little tour.”

Suddenly a small wolf-lynx hybrid girl, wearing a yellow dress, appeared.  
“Hi there. If this isn´t little Leah.”  
Abe greeted her.

Arten’s pup saw to the source of the voice and began to smile as wide as she was able to.  
The wolf smiled down at her and she ran towards him.  
During that she hold up her toy-truck and made a loud sound.  
“VROOM!”

The girl simply ignored her dad and Abraham lifted her onto his lap.  
“You really like your truck, right?”  
She laughed and it was easy to see her joy.  
“So: How are you?”  
Leah wrapped her arms around him and began to purr.  
“Good I presume? Very good.”

On the other side of the table Arten still sat sideways into the direction his daughter was only moments before, with wide open arms.  
His head slowly turned towards Leah with teary eyes.  
“And Daddy gets no hugs?”

Abe looked down at Leah.  
“Go and give a hug to your pop´s. We wouldn’t want to make him cry.”  
“Yeeeeeessss!!! HUGS FOR DADDY!!!”  
Leah screamed full of joy.

He let her down, so she could give her dad the promised hug.  
But then she turned around with a stern look.  
“You must hug Daddy, too. Everyone has to!”  
“Uuf… fine… But I´m doing it because you said so.”

With that he wrapped his arms around the two others.  
“My girl knows what´s best.”  
Arten couldn’t resist to chuckle.  
Before he ended the hug, Abe leaned over and whispered into Arten’s ear.  
“Don´t pretend she didn´t get the look from you.”

With a chuckle the Canadian wolf sat down again to continue with his sandwich.  
“After my dinner I´ll take the opportunity to clean Big Bertha´s cab.”  
Leah looked confused at him.  
“Bertha? Who´s Bertha?”  
“Well, my truck of course. That´s one of her names.”  
The little girl holds up her toy-truck towards Abe.  
“Can this be little Bertha?”  
“Of course she can…”  
He leans down.  
“If you want, I can show you Big Bertha.”

Before Leah could answer, Silver came downstairs with a sneezing Mike on her arms.  
“Howdy Silver.”  
Abe greeted her.  
“Hello boys. I would love to give you a proper greeting, but as you can see and hear, little Mike needs some attention. So… I better hurry before there are too many mammals at Doctor Fish. Bye.”  
Silver was already about to leave the tavern.  
“Have a good one Silver. Take care Mikey.”  
The wolf bid his farewell.

Arten walked over to his mate and talked with her about something Abe couldn´t hear, but Leah used the opportunity to talk to the grown wolf.  
“I´d like to see Bertha, but I fear Daddy will say no.”  
Leah’s face got a little sad at that thought.  
“I wouldn´t mind, but he has to say yes.”  
Aber tried to cheer her up.

Silver shout could be heard through the closing door as her mate returned to the table.  
“Don´t do anything stupid!!”  
“With me around? What could go wrong?”  
Abraham shouted back.  
“Actually, she meant me than you…”  
Arten replied.  
“So… Leah would like to know…”  
Abe put a paw on her shoulder.  
“… if she can go to see Big Bertha.”

Father and daughter looked at each other and if Abe had known it, he would have prepared a portion popcorn.  
First there were Arten’s shocked expression.  
Leah countered with her big eyes.  
Now his expression turned to painful.  
Her eyes became teary.  
He started to chew on his lower lips.  
She wrapped her tail around her legs.  
His head sunk down to his chest and Abe knew Leah had won.

“Okay! Okay!!”  
Arten gave up.  
“I think it won´t do any harm to anyone…”  
“YAY!”  
Leah cheered happily and charged to her Daddy and put her small arms around his neck.

“But don´t run around on the streets Leah!!”  
Arten strictly instructed his little girl.  
“If it can make you feel better, you can come too, Arty.”  
Abe offered.  
“Me?”  
The lynx didn’t expect to be invited as well.  
“Sure. I don´t mind to show you two my truck.”  
“Well… erm… Okay. Why not?”  
Arten simply shrugged and took Leah’s paw.  
“Abe, lead the way.”

The wolf stood up and led them outside. Not far away was a small lot where the silhouette of an orange beast with three black stripe side lines towered over the much smaller cars around it.  
“A Peterbilt 389. My pride and joy!”  
He hit the lynx with his elbow and put his smiling maw near Arten’s ear…  
“At least until my pups will be born.”  
Abe whispered.

Leah ignored the two adults as she stood in front of the huge truck, expression was showing pure awe.

“You wanna go inside?”  
The wolf offered.  
“Oh please daddy!!! Can I?”  
Her eyes went big again.

Abe unlocked the door and opened it in anticipation.  
“Oh erm… I don´t know. Not that something gets broken…”  
Arten quickly noticed, that the interior was mostly custom made.  
“Don´t worry. She´s not made out of paper.”  
Abe assured him and knocked on the sturdy metal.  
“Come on… let her get in.”

Leah´s eyes went up to full ‘sad-puppy-eyes’-modus.  
“Come on, Arty. You wouldn´t want to make her cry!”  
“I… but…”  
Arten still hesitated.

Abe copied Leah and made puppy-eyes, too. Now the lynx had to fight against two pleading pairs of puppy-eyes.  
“Why don´t you climb up on the passenger side first to look after her once she is in? I´ll make sure she doesn´t fall.”  
Abe offered.

The Canadian Wolf could see how the lynx in front of him began to think about it and Leah took this moment of weakness for the final strike:  
To her big puppy-eyes came a trembling lip and some silent tears.  
“But I… I will be really careful.”

Abe was a bit annoyed how protective Arten could be even if he knew him that long.  
The lynx sighed and turned to Leah.  
“Fine. But you really have to do what we say. Alright?”  
Leah nodded, threw her arms into the air and screamed with joy.  
“You too, Arten.”  
Abe commented.  
“Me too?”

Abraham clapped his paws before rubbing them against each other.  
“Ok. First lesson: Entering. Always have three points of appoint when you climb in.”  
“Huh?”  
The lynx didn’t understand.  
“Both your paws and a rear-one have to touch the truck at all times.”  
Abe explained.  
“Hmm… Let me try first to climb into the cabin and after that you can lift Leah up to me.” Arten suggested.  
“The steps are very low… I´m sure she can manage. Isn´t that right little one?”  
Leah looked at the steps and with some small jumps she made it onto the driver´s seat like a pro.

While Arten nearly suffered from a heart attack, Abraham stared puzzled at the little girl who sat on the driver-seat.  
“I didn´t see that one coming. You ok?”  
“Mummy goes very often to those climbing-parks with me.”  
Leah explained proudly.

Abe had to grin when he looked at his side. Arten was still shocked of the climbing skills his 5 years old daughter already had.  
“You are going to go in the by yourself or do I have to take you by the paw?”  
Abraham teased the lynx.  
“Huh? Oh… Erm… I´m fine. I will climb in on the passenger-side.”

Abe reached up and pressed on a button to unlock the passenger-door.  
Leah took the steering wheel and made engine-noises. Her feet were still too short to reach the pedals.

“Hey Arty, you got finally in?”  
The Canadian Wolf asked.  
“Just… Just a second… I hate ladders…”  
Came the reply from the other side.  
“Hurry up a bit! I got the perfect picture for your family-album right here.”  
Abe took his phone out and waited till his friend was in position.  
“Tell me when you are ready, oversized kitty.”  
“I heard that!!”  
Only a few moments later he could hear how the lynx closed the passenger door.

Leah was holding the lower area of the steering wheel because she couldn’t reach up more than that. Her head was turned down towards Abe and she gave him a sweet grin with closed eyes. Arten sat next to her and...  
*Click*  
*Click*  
...Arten was leaning a bit forward and giving a small wave to the camera.  
*Click*

The wolf had a little idea and looked at his watch.  
“You know what? I still got a whole lot of time ahead of me... How about we three take Bertha on a little ride?”  
Leah let out such a high pitched scream that glass could almost brake.  
“Someone is excited.... How about you Arty?”  
Abe grinned.  
„Huh??? DID YOU SAY SOMETHING???”  
Arten had stuck his paws against his ears to protect them.  
Abraham climbed up onto the pawboard to be at the same height as the lynx.  
“I said: How about we take my truck for a little ride?”  
“WHY SHOULD WE HIDE??”  
The lynx rubbed his ears to fight against his temporary deafness.  
“I'll take that as a yes.”

Leah climbed over to Arten and sat onto his lap.  
Abe climbed up in his seat, closed the door and put is key into the ignition lock.  
The dash comes to life as multiple gauges did their cycles to ensure that they are in working in order. After the engine-check-light turned off, Abe pulled both windows down and gave a side look at Leah.  
“You are going to like this part.”  
He grinned.  
Leah´s eyes started to glow like she would be looking at a beautiful Christmas tree.  
“Wait a second!!“  
Arten interrupted.  
“Too late.”  
The wolf shook his head and was about to start the engine.  
“No Abe!!”  
The lynx put a paw on Abraham’s arm to stop him.  
“Just wait one second! Please.”  
“What is it now?“  
Abraham just rolled his eyes before looking at the lynx.  
Arten looked down at Leah with a serious face.  
“Leah? ... What do we do, when we sit in a car? ... Or in this case: In a truck?”  
Leah thought for a second and answered.  
“We buckle up?”  
“Yes. We buckle up because...”  
Arten extended his question.  
“...because we always do!”  
The little girl replied and Arten smiled at his daughter on his lap.  
“That's my girl.”  
Abraham looked surprised to both of them.  
“You guys use seat belt?”

Leah looked over to Abe with wide eyes.  
“You’re not???”  
Arten formed words with his maw towards Abe:  
“Do it.”  
“Uuuhm, reasons... Anyway…”  
He fastened is seatbelt.  
“But being buckled up is important!”  
Leah pointed out to the trucking wolf.  
“Yeah, I'm just a stupid woof who thinks to know everything better…”  
Abe mumbled so the others couldn’t hear him.

Arten grabbed behind him and pulled the seatbelt towards Leah.  
“It's your turn honey pie.”  
The lynx looked at a strange yellow object attached to the seatbelt.  
“What's that?“  
“That is a belt adjuster. Unless you want her to be strangled by the belt, use that to adjust the length.”  
Arten’s eyes shot wide open at the thought alone.  
“So, what do I do?”  
“Pull the yellow plate, adjust the length and then push the plate back in its original position.”  
The lynx did as instructed.  
“Like that?”  
“Yup.”  
Abe gave a thumbs up.

Now the wolf smirked at Leah.  
“Ready little one?”  
Leah already had locked the belt clamp into the lock and shouted happily.  
“Vroooom!!!”

Abe could only chuckle.  
He turned the key in the ignition lock to the start position and a fraction of a second later, the starter came to life making the truck shake slightly from side to side.  
The engine started to roar to life, along with the whistling of the turbo that could be heard through the side air filters on the side of the hood.  
*VRRRRRRRR.....VRRRROOOOOOOM!*  
And just to put in a little more extra, Abe's gave two knocks on the gas pedal to rev up the engine and made Leah laugh with excitement.  
“Boy... I can feel the power already.”  
Arten started to smirk a bit.

As the alarms in the dash started to shut off and the air started to build up, Abe pushed the air brake release button and air could be heard circulating in the dash.  
Leah just threw her arms into the air  
„Swooooosh!!!“  
After the sound of the circulating air faded away and became not hear-able any more, Abe pushed the clutch, took the custom shifter into is right paw and engaged a gear.

Before he started, he took a last look into his mirror and slowly released the clutch. The beast of steel jumped forward, Abe then started to shift 2 gears without the clutch to go faster to the street.

„Whopeeeeee!!!!“  
Leah yelled.  
Just for the sake of it, Abe pulled the string of the air horn twice just for Leah.  
*HONK! HOOK!*  
„Hoooooooooonk!!“  
Came the instant reply from Leah.  
Arten had to look out of the side window to avoid laughing.  
“Héhéhé.”  
Abe smirked himself as well.  
Arten got out his sunglasses and was enjoying the ride. His daughter cuddled softly against him and she started to purr.

After taking on the street, Abe accelerated at a surprisingly fast pace for a truck, jumping gears and using the splitter as he drove faster and faster.  
The sound of the turbo whistling through the open windows was music to his ears.  
If Leah would not have been buckled up, she would have been jumping around in the cabin already.

As they arrived at an intersection, Abe flipped the switch for the engine brake to slow down the truck. His additional shifting down made the engine growl through its twin pipes. *BRUUUUUUUUUUUH!*  
He shifted down another gear.  
*BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!*  
He stopped the truck with the wheel breaks at the intersection, and prepared the truck to drive off again.

“Agaaaaiiiiiinnnnn!!!”  
Leah demanded with a glow in her happy eyes.  
“I can only do it while slowing down, sweetie.”  
Abe chuckled.  
“Then you must slow down, again!“  
Leah replied.  
“But we aren’t moving anymore...”

Arten chuckled.  
“I think what he means is, that he can only do that when he is braking. He has to be in motion.”  
He explained.  
After that he looked over to Abe and asked:  
“Or am I wrong?”  
“You are right. The engine brake doesn't use the brakes at all.”  
The trucker replied.  
“But how do you brake... without brakes?”  
Leah was very confused.  
“By compressed air. That loud sound you heard was the engine compressing air and make the truck slow down instead of going faster. Since the engine is connected to the rear wheels it makes them slow down instead of the brakes.”  
“Coooool!!!!“  
Came from Leah with a lot of fascination.

Once the light turned green, Abe accelerated a bit faster so that the engine roared with all its mighty.  
*BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!*  
He shifted down again, using the overdrive splitter on the shifter knob. *BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuh!*  
The joined the engine sound with her “Vroooom!!!“ again

“Alright, we are going to stretch her legs, the highway entrance is right there.”  
He pointed in front of the truck.  
„Highway??? O... okay?”  
Arten gulped. He was fine with driving around in the City. But the highway with a truck was something totally different.

As they got to the entrance, Abe shifted up to make the engine run at a bit lower rev, but it didn’t take long for it to get up to speed again… The turbo roared as Abe changed gears until he received at 105km/h.  
„I love doing that!“  
The Canadian Wolf grinned.

“That is soooooooooo pawsome!!”  
Leah was totally enjoying this new adventure.  
Arten looked down at his daughter with a raised eyebrow and asked her:  
“Where did you get that word from?”  
She looked up to her Dad.  
“I got it from Daniel...”  
“Who is Daniel?”  
Arten’s eyebrow was still lifted.  
Leah started to blush slightly.  
“Ermmmm… A classmate of mine?”  
When he heard that Abe had to chuckle, but was ignored by them.  
>Kits.<

Abe looked at the radio and had an idea. He connected his smart phone via Bluetooth with the truck’s on board stereo system and used the vocal command of his phone.  
„Ok zoogle ‚*ping*‘“

Leah and Arten looked over to him and showed the same level of confusion.  
“Start song east bound and down by Jerry Reed.”  
Abe commanded the system.  
The artificial voice of ‘Zoogle’ answered:  
“Starting East Bound and down on Spotify.”  
“That's one of my favourite songs to listen to while I drive.”  
Abe explained.  
“Pawsome!!”  
Abraham smiled as this comment came this time from the lynx and not from the little wolf girl, who rolled with her eyes.

The banjo rift started to play, followed by the first set of lyrics.  
East bound and down, loaded up and truckin', We're gonna do what they say can't be done. We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there. I'm east bound, just watch ol' "Bandit" run.  
Once the second set of lyrics began Abe couldn´t resist and started to sing along.  
Keep your foot hard on the pedal. Son, never mind them brakes. Let it all hang out 'cause we got a run to make. The boys are thirsty in Atlanta and there's beer in Texarcana. And we'll bring it back no matter what it takes.

Arten began to softly swing to the song.  
„Daddy!!“  
Leah giggled and laughed broad enough to show her fangs.

But as they were having fun, Abe’s phone rang suddenly.  
“Unknown number... Darn must be the client.”  
He picked up is blue parrot and answered the call.  
“Yes?  
…  
It's ready?  
…  
Okay.  
…  
I will be there in an hour or so...”  
“...”  
“Alight. Thanks, have a good one.”  
Abe ended the call and sighed.  
He gave a little sad look at Leah and Arten.  
“Looks like our little joy ride is at its end.”

“Everything alright?“  
The lynx wanted to know.  
“Yeah. Trailer is ready. I got to go.”  
Arten understood.  
„Oh... Work calls...“  
„Gonna drop you guys of at the tavern.”  
Leah didn’t like that idea a bit.  
„Nuuuu...”  
“Sorry, little one, but I can't miss that appointment.”  
Abe shrugged and hoped she would understand.

Arten tried to console his daughter.  
“Well honey pie... That's the other side of having fun... It's always ending earlier than expected...”

“True.”  
Replied Abe, as he had an idea to make Leah smile again:  
“You know what little one? I might have an idea... If your Dad and Mommy are ok with it of course, but...”  
“Huh?”  
Arten brought his attention to the trucking wolf.  
“…I could maybe take you with me some other time for a day to ride with me if I had to do a really short distance.”  
“REALLY!?!?”  
Leah’s mood was back up again.  
“WUT??”  
Was the only reaction Arten could do as response.  
“Only if your folks both agree. Otherwise I can't.”  
“Daddy pleeeeeeeaaaasssseeeeeee!!!”  
Leah looked at her daddy with her now famous pleading puppy-eyes.

“Phew... That is quite a big question.”  
Arten had to gulp.  
“I... I can't...”  
Leah still looked with big and pleading eyes to her daddy.  
The lynx tried to explain to her daughter.  
“Honey pie... That is something I can't decide all on my own...”

“It will be only for a day max, not longer.”  
Abe promised and looked into the father’s eyes.  
“I... I really should better discuss that with Silver first... You just don't want to be near her, when something is happening to the kits...”  
Arten looked into Abe’s eyes and the wolf noticed the worry in the eyes of the lynx.  
The trucking wolf tried to assure him.  
“I get that, but don't forget: You know as well as me to never promise something that you won’t keep.”  
„Still... your offer is very kindly, but I think... we should postpone it to another time...”  
Arten now looked down at his daughter.  
“Sorry... honey-pie.”  
She closed her eyes and the first traces of wetness were seen.  
“Now, now. Remember Leah: your Daddy didn't say no, he said just another time.”  
Abe’s words shouldn’t stop Leah crying so heart breaking now, that Arten tried to smooth her down by hugging.  
“NOO!!!”  
Leah screamed to her Dad.  
“Leave me alone!!”  
The little girl pushed the arms of her father away from her.  
“Go away!!!”  
Hearing those words from his daughter for the very first time, Arten felt like someone had struck a knife into his heart and ripped it out of his chest. He felt tears running down his cheeks already.  
Without any further words being spoken, Abe took the next exit to go back to the Old Wolf Tavern.

After a very wordless drive the three of them finally arrived back at Mick's Tavern.  
“Well thanks buddy for the tour, but I have to take care of...”  
Arten unbuckled and opened the passenger door of the truck. Quickly, like a flash, Leah jumped out and raced into the building.  
“Leah!!! Be careful!! Watch the traffic and other mammals around you!”  
The worried lynx climbed out of the truck and hurried after her. Nobody noticed, that the passenger door was still a bit open.  
Abe got out on his side, closed his door by habit and walked to the other side to see Arten. He also didn’t notice that the passenger door was slightly open.  
“Think she´s going to be ok? I mean... I... I only wanted to make her smile...”  
Abe now felt bad for the little girl.  
“It's alright bud…”  
Arten hugged the Canadian Wolf.  
”It's not your fault.”

Abe smiled, put an arm around Arten´s shoulder and walked him over to the door of the Tavern.  
“Well, I just hope that you will consider my offer, I bet she is going to dream about this experience for the next few weeks. I wouldn't be surprised if she ask me to take her with me behind yours and Silver´s back.”  
The lynx sighed.  
“Yeah... But first we have to take care about little Mikey here. I... I really would love to see Leah smiling again… But now I don't want to keep you off your duties any longer. In the meantime I will make Leah her favourite snack: Tuna sandwich. I hope she will have calmed down a bit by then.”  
Arten gave a goodbye-hug to Abe and walked back into the Tavern, wiping away a tear from his cheek.

Arten entered the bar and looked around for Leah, but could not find her at first. He shrugged and started to prepare a tasty tuna sandwich.  
“Maybe she is upstairs? But I better leave her alone like she told me to do… At least for now…”

After seeing Arten entering the tavern, Abe went up into the cabin and started his truck. But as he was about to leave, he saw that the indicator light for the opened passenger door side was on.  
>Hum... Mustn’t have noticed with what just took place.<  
Abe stretched himself and gave a little, firm swing to close the door properly and then drove off for the clients yard to get is trailer.  
Turning on the radio, he started his favourite playlist of some country music, starting with the song he wanted to hear: The last of the Cowboys.

What neither Arten nor Abe knew was, that Leah did not run directly into the Tavern after leaving the truck.  
She was hiding behind some trash cans and was peeking around them still with teary eyes but not noticeable at all. As she saw Arten leave the cabin of the truck without closing the passenger door correctly she sneaked without any noise at all out of her hiding place, along the passenger side of the truck and through the still opened truck-door into the cabin.  
She wiped with her paw the last remaining tears away to clear her view and looked inside the truck for a good place to hide at first. Her decision fell on the bed in the back of the cabin where she could easily hide under the blankets. Not a second later Abe entered his truck, noticed the still open passenger door, closed it and finally began to drive off towards his client.  
Due to the warmth of the bed and the shaking of the cabin during the drive, Leah felt suddenly very tired and even Abe's country music could not stop falling her into a very deep sleep…

As Abe arrived at his destination, and spotted is trailer, he putted himself into position to hook up is trailer. But as usual they dropped it a bit too low. So instead of a smooth back up the hook up shook the entire truck with a little bang.  
After a he made sure that the truck was correctly hooked up, he proceeded with is mandatory pre-trip inspection…

Back in the tavern, Arten did some accounting for Mick.  
After his last entry he stretched and yawned. “I need a break.... and a fine cup of tea.”  
Arten noticed the still untouched tuna sandwich he had made for Leah.  
>Strange. She should have eaten it 30 minutes ago already. I better check on her.<  
The lynx walked upstairs to the guestrooms and knocked on the door.  
“Leah? It's your Daddy. You all right?  
Your sandwich is already waiting for you downstairs...”  
No reaction… another knocking.  
“Leah?”  
Arten turned the door-handle. It was unlocked. He opened the door slowly.  
“Leah... I told you to always lock the door when you are inside...”  
Still no reaction, so he turned on the lights.  
He saw, that the bed was totally untouched.  
>Leah!<  
The lynx got nervous and searched the other rooms, but no luck. He couldn't find her!

His mobile chimed because he got a text message from Silver:  
‘Hey honey. We are on the way back from the doc. Mike has to stay in bed for a while. Leah will sleep in our room. We will be back in about 20 minutes.’  
Arten gulped.  
“Oh darn.... that's gonna end bad…”

Once Abe was done with his check-up, he went back inside the cab to complete is paperwork. But first, he decided to get a snack from the little fridge in the bunk in the back of the cabin.  
After he went into the bunk, he noticed a bulge in his bedsheets that wasn't there earlier. Not knowing what it was he just decided to poke it carefully.

After only two pokes the bulge started to giggle…  
“What the...?”  
Abe pulled the sheets away and uncovered what was hiding under it… he revealed a certain pup who wasn't supposed to be there.  
“Oh... Tabarnane... What are you doing here!?”  
Leah smiled and waved.  
„Hello...”  
His expression went from confusion to shock and then to concern.  
„What... how... when did you got in here!?  
You shouldn't be here! What will your parents say?”  
Leah’s expression quickly changed from happiness to sorrow.  
“Are you angry with me now?”  
“Kinda... But I´m more concerned with how your parents will react when they will notice that you are missing. Do you know how worried they must be right now!?”  
Leah began to cry.  
“I... I am sorry…”  
Abe sighed in frustration.  
„Ok...“

“But... But I wanted to come with you... Like... Like you said...”  
Replied Leah between her tears.  
„That's why? I said I would, but not like that. Right now, you are a child whose parents have no clue where you are, and must be worried sick that something happened to you. I gave my word that I would bring you, but only if your mom and dad say yes...”  
Abe swiped with his paw over his muzzle and sighed.  
“I know how you feel. When I was at your age, my pop's brought me for a ride too. I know how amazing all this is and all the excitement it provides. But right now, it wasn't the best time nor idea...”  
He sighed again.  
“I'm not mad... Just disappointed, that you would go on and do such a thing.”

Leah started to cry which caused Abe to panic a little.  
“Ack! ... No... Please don't cry... I... I...”  
Abe pulled the little wolf-girl into a hug and tried to comfort her.  
“There, there... Why are you crying? I didn't say anything wrong, no?”  
„Be... Be... Because everyone is so mean to me...”  
Leah cried into his chest while getting hugged.  
“We didn't mean to be mean towards you. We just want the best for you. I know your daddy is not... erm... well… he is a bit protective of you… But that's because he loves you so much. He just doesn't want anything bad happen to you. Do you understand?”  
Abe explained to her but Leah protested.  
“But... But I am not a little baby anymore!”  
Her small fists punched the bed sheets around her.  
“But you are still a child. I can tell them not to punish you for following your passion but...  
I can't stop them from punishing you for pulling such a stunt like that.”  
„I... I am sorry.“  
Leah apologized and avoided looking into Abe’s face  
He hugged her again.  
“I forgive you. Now... You do know I have to call them, right?”  
Leah gave Abe a pleading look.  
“Do... Do you really have to??? Dad will be very disappointed of me.”  
„Yes, I have to. Think of how much your mommy must be worrying right now… and your pop's too.”  
>This will take some time to get through to her.<

In the meantime, Arten had called everyone he knew and asked if they had seen his daughter Leah.  
The answers were always the same:  
“No, we haven't seen her.”  
Each passing minute he got more and more nervous because he had no clue how to tell his wife, that their daughter has gone missing while Arten was supposed to have an eye on her…  
And she was expected to arrive soon.  
Suddenly Arten's phone ringed. The ID showed that it was Abraham Maple. Arten was about to press on the decline button, but thought otherwise.  
“Wouldn't be polite of me…”  
He said to himself as the Lynx answered the call.

“Hey Abe. I... I think you call at a very bad timing now, because...”  
Arten got interrupted by Abe.  
“Are you looking for someone by any chances?”  
„Huh? What... What do you mean?”  
„Oh, so you didn't notice?“  
“What are you talking about????”  
The lynx was about to lose his calmness.  
“Arten, your daughter…she is with me.“  
„Who is with....? Leah?! She is with YOU?!?”  
„Yes.”

Abe had to keep the phone away from his ear at the loud swearing words and put his paw over it, so Leah had no chance of hearing those.  
Arten took a few deep breaths in and out…  
„Abe? ... Are you still here?”  
“Yes.“  
“Is... is... is she...?”  
The stressed out father had to gulp.  
”… alright?“  
“Yeah, she is. I found her hiding under my bed sheets.”  
Arten breathed out very long and relieved.  
“Where are you now?”  
“At my client on the other side of the city in the industrial park.”  
“Doesn't sound kit-friendly to me.”  
“I can come by the tavern, I should be there in about 40 minutes.”  
Arten checked the time Silver texted him about her departure from the doctor. Abe would arrive 30 minutes after his wife.  
“I'm leaving right away, I might get some traffic through.”  
“Hey... before you leave... can... can I speak to... Leah... please?”  
Abe replied:  
“Of course, but... Please don't yell at her. I already made it clear what she did was bad, ok?”  
„I... I understand... Erm Abe...? I ... erm... I... Thank you.“  
“You´re welcome...”

Leah took the phone in both paws  
“D... Daddy?”  
“...”  
“Dad?”  
“... Yeah... I ... I am here... I... erm...”  
He had to gulp.  
“Are you fine?”  
“Yes... I'm fine.”  
“That's... good... even very important...”  
Arten could relax a bit now.  
Abe patted Leah to give her some comfort while still looking at the road.  
Leah looks up to Abe and speaks to Arten.  
“Daddy?”  
“Yes... Leah?”  
“I... I am sorry!”  
Arten sighed.  
“It's alright.”  
Leah now looked down.  
“Daddy?”  
“Hm?”  
“I... I love you.”  
“I know honeypie... I love you, too. I... I will wait here in the Tavern for you, alright?”  
“O...okay. Bye.”  
“Bye.”  
As Arten ended the call, he walked over to a near wall and leaned his head against it. He closed his eyes and started crying to himself. His fear had now changed into panic as he felt like he had nearly lost her forever.  
A few minutes later Silver entered the tavern with their son in her arms.  
Arten quickly wiped his tears away and ran into the kitchen to stay out of Silver’s sight. From there he shouted towards the guest area:  
“Hey Silver... I am in the kitchen... You wanna have a snack, too...? What did the Doc say about Mike?”

Silver, still carrying a sleeping Mike, answered only a moment later.  
“The doc said that Mikey should stay in bed for at least 2 days. But else it's nothing to worry about. About the offer for your snack: I would go savage for a delicious sandwich.”  
Silver licked her lips at the thought of such a delicious meal made by her talented husband.  
“But first I will take Mike upstairs to his bed.”  
Silver looked around.  
“Say... Where is Leah?”

Arten was nervous as hell as he hid behind the opened door of the fridge.  
“Erm... I... she is upstairs... Having her nap... She... erm... was extremely active and bouncing around like a ball of rubber. I... erm... I could barely keep up with her energy.”  
Silver glared through the passage to the kitchen at him. He could feel her glare though he was shielded by the fridge’s door.  
“Arty... You´re hiding something... Where is she?”  
Silver had a strange feeling in her gut. She always listened to that feeling.  
“Upstairs... like... like I said before! Really!”  
Silver was still not very convinced.  
“You know what? I will bring Mikey upstairs into his bed and after taking care of him, I will check for Leah, too.”  
Silver turned around and walked towards the stairs.  
“N...No... you don't need to do that... “  
Arten’s eyes got big and his face pale.  
“You... you will wake her up...”  
Silver stopped again and pointed to the tuna sandwich.  
“She can't be so tired to skip a tuna-sandwich... she loves tuna... especially when done by you, Arty. But… if she is really that tired and exhausted...”  
Arten silently prayed that Silver would not go to Leah's empty bed.  
“... I just will give her a soft sleep-well-kiss on her cheek.”  
Silver smiled at that thought. She loved giving good night kisses on the cheeks of her kits.  
Arten breathed no heavily.  
“NO!! Don't do that!”  
„Huh?“  
“Erm... I... I mean... you don't need to do that now. She won't notice it anyway while dreaming... It would just be like... erm... like...“  
„Like what?“  
Silver expected now a very good explanation of her Arty why she shouldn’t give her own daughter a sleep-well kiss.  
„…like a kiss you send to someone beloved but it never arrives and the recipient can't notice or enjoy it. Besides... If you give her one when she has woken up, Leah will be muuuuuch happier about it.”

Silver turned back to the stairs and walked with a puzzled look upstairs to bring Mike into his bed. Walking upstairs she thought about it.  
>I think I have to have a proper talk with Arten. He is acting strange again. But he is right: I will give my girl a wake-up-kiss later.<

In the meanwhile Abe was nearing the tavern. He saw how nervous Leah was getting the closer they were getting to their destination.  
„You are nervous?“  
Leah just nodded.  
“I'm sure your dad told your mom already, in a calm and sensible way, so that when we get there, we will only have a talk with them.”  
„You think so? I hope you are right...”  
Leah replied with big eyes full of hope.  
“Yeah...”  
>I do hope, too.<  
“But, I will have a talk with them, see if I can have them be a bit less stern with you, but I can't promise it will work out.”  
„Oh... ok... Thank you...“ 

As they neared the street of the tavern, Abe found a spot where he could park without being in the way. After he made a complete stop on the four-way flasher, he pulled on the air breaks and turned off the engine.

Inside the tavern:  
Silver walked back downstairs again towards Arten who had already prepared an impressive meal for his wolf-wife: Chicken steak with potato-wedges…  
“Okay Arten... What have you done this time? There must be a reason why you didn´t made ordinary sandwiches...”  
Silver looked at Arten with a raised eyebrow.  
“Me?”  
Arten acted as if everything would be fine.  
“You normally never do this unless it is a special day to celebrate something.”  
“Erm... Happy... happy anniversary, honey!!”  
The lynx declared with a happy grin.  
“Awe... How sweet from my little kitty-cat”  
Silver replied with her smile Arten felt in love the first time he saw it.  
“... But...”  
Now her lovely smile changed to a normal smile.  
”Our anniversary is in 10 days…”  
Her smile now changed into a rather angry expression.  
“Happy birthd...?”  
Arten really tried everything to get an extra minute more for Abe to return with Leah.  
“Nope! September 1st!”  
Now the muzzle of Silver reached a limit of angriness that even an Army Drill Sergeant would wet himself instantly.

Arten looked at the clock on the wall. Abe and Leah should arrive any minute now.  
Silver added:  
„Oh... And before you try: Both our kits were born April 14th. So... that we have cleared that now...”  
She mumbled.  
“… again...”

“WHAT HAS HAPPENED??”  
>That scream of her must have been heard in the entire country.<

Abe entered the tavern with Leah holding his paw.  
“Delivery for Arten Reich...  
Oh...”  
He was nervous…  
There was a tension in the air like a burning cigarette on a pile of dynamite…  
“Hi Silver.”  
The Canadian Wolf shortly greeted.  
Silver looked shortly over to Abe and waved back.  
“Hey Abe! How are y...”  
Silver looked at Arten and then back at Abe.  
“Leah??? What are you doing...”  
Silver looked now to Arten with her murderous look.  
“...here?!?”  
Silver took some deep breaths through her nose.  
“My dear so called ‘husband’!  
Haven't you told me just a few minutes before, that Leah was upstairs and already ASLEEP??!!”

Even with the risk of turning the upset mother´s wraith on himself, Abe opened his maw.  
“You didn't explain anything, did you?”  
Arten just shook his head.  
“Can we all sit down and have a talk?”  
Abe suggested.  
“Preferable without strangling Arten?“

Silver sighed while she rolled with her eyes and mumbled:  
“I will try my best... But at first: Abe, I'd like to take my daughter to where she belongs... To ME!”  
Silver opened her arms to take over Leah from Abe.  
Leah showed a somehow scared expression.  
Silver noticed Leah's scared face.  
“Aweee... Don't worry honey. You are back at your Mommy and I will now take veeeeery good care of you.”  
Silver cuddled her daughter very tight.  
“She... She is afraid that you are going to punish her severely...”  
Abe mentioned.  
„But Abe, why should I do that???”  
She looked over to Arten with a very stern look.  
“Or is there something more I should know?”  
“Can we sit down? And talk? Please?”  
“Yeah... erm... maybe we three should really be having a small talk now?”  
Arten finally found some courage to speak up.  
“Alright... but first I want Leah to be upstairs.  
So my cute little baby, are you hungry?”  
Leah just nodded.

“Okay... Then let's do the following: You grab your sandwich and take it with you upstairs. There you can eat your sandwich and in the meantime I will be here and just have a little and nice talk with Abe and your da... your father. What do you say?”  
“But Uncle Mick said we are not allowed to eat upstairs...”  
Leah replied dutifully.  
“You know what? I will talk him later and explain it to him. Alright?”  
“Okay...”  
“Fine. Now... be a nice little girl and say goodbye to Abe and...”  
Silver looked over to Arten with a cold look.  
“... your father.”

Leah walked over to Abe and opened her arms for a hug.  
Abe kneeled down and opened is arms. Leah didn't lose a second and hugged him.  
“Don't worry, little one, I will do as I promised.”  
He assured her.

She nodded and walked over to her Dad. Arten also hugged her tightly and whispered into her ear:  
“I want you to know, that whatever happens I will always love you.”  
He gave her a kiss on her forehead.  
“Now it's time for you to go upstairs. And don't forget your sandwich... I made it the way you like it: with tomatoes and some olives.”  
Leah grabbed her sandwich and dashed upstairs.

They listened to the fading pawsteps up the stairs before Silver began to speak.  
“So... now we are alone. Arten, why did you say she was already upstairs asleep?  
And Abe, why was she with you at all?!?”  
“Erm... I... erm... well...”  
Arten looked over to Abe with a ‘help me’-expression.

The wolf tilted is head back with an exasperated look.  
“Do you want the long or the short version?”  
“The truth is all I ask for”  
This time Arten could see the pain in his wife’s eyes.  
“Now... go ahead.”  
“She tried to hide in my truck, to go on a trip with me...”  
Silver blinked several times.  
“Why should she do that??”  
Arten answered that question.  
“Because Abe invited us for a small tour around the area in his truck. Leah was as excited as never before. Though she was sitting on my lap and we were buckled up she gave me a really hard job to keep her in place.”  
“But this still does not answer the question why Leah just turned up with Abe instead of being upstairs, and I quote YOU: ‘She is upstairs asleep’?!”  
The mother wanted to know.  
Suddenly Leah's voice joined in.  
“Because I sneaked outside and into uncle Abe's truck as he and Daddy were talking about something.”  
Silver reacted totally surprised now.  
“But... but why did you do that? Also... why are you down here?”  
“I don't want that Daddy or uncle Abe get in troubles because of me. And I did it, because Daddy said that I could not drive with uncle Abe alone in the truck.”  
“Daddy really said no?”  
Her mother´s eyes shot wide open and hushed over to the lynx giving him a partly surprised, partly apologetic look.

Leah simply nodded and Arten told his wife:  
“Actually I did not say no... I just said I wanted to discuss that with you at first.”

“B... But Abe... When you got back into your truck... Why didn't you tell her to stay here?” Silver asked Abe with questioning look.  
“Because I didn't know she was even there. I only found out when I was in my client’s yard.”  
“I was hiding in the back in uncle Abe's bed.”  
Leah answered.  
“Why that?”  
Both parents wanted to know.  
“Because uncle Abe would have sent me back into the Tavern.”  
The little girl gave a sad look towards Abe.  
“What happened next?”  
Arten asked next.  
“I... erm... I...”  
“Leah, please answer this question. We just want to understand.”  
Silver looked at her daughter with a loving smile to indicate that her mother wasn’t angry at her.  
“I fell asleep.”  
Leah looked down very shy at the floor.  
“So that's why nobody knew where you were… Oh girl...”  
Silver hold both her paws in front of her snout and breathed out loudly. The mother had to fight really hard against a forming tears in her eyes.

Abe leaned forward and spoke softly.  
“I... I kinda get where that came from. When I was her age, I was the same:  
All I wanted was to go on a trip, and when my father gave me that opportunity, I was hooked for life.  
It's more than a job… it's a passion. I just wanted to let her experience it.”

Leah started to cry.  
“I... I am sorry... I... I will never... do... do this again. I... promise.”  
Silver kneeled down opened her arms to offer comfort but instead the little girl ran to her dad to get some comfort.

“I ain't gonna tell you guys how to raise her, but don't punish her for fallowing her dreams, that's all I ask... “  
Abe defended little Leah.  
“It is your choice, but I already made it clear with her.”

Silver had not expected Leah avoiding her. But she got up and walked over to Abe, who also got up from his chair. She gave him a surprising hug.  
“Thank you for finding my little girl.”  
A tear ran down Silver’s cheek.

Abe was surprised at first, but with a tender smile, he hugged her back.  
“You´re welcome, Silver... After all wouldn't you do the same if the role were inverted?”  
Silver just nodded.  
“Well, if you guys would excuse me, I have to work now. See y'all in a few days.”

Arten called out to the wolf before he could even make a single step.  
“You have still a minute left? Leah has something to tell you.”  
Leah walked in front of Abe with her paws behind her back and big eyes.  
“I am sorry, that I sneaked into your truck without asking. And that you had to bring me back to the tavern. And that you had to stop your... erm... your driving for that.”

Abe kneeled down at her level, opened his arms and gave her a hug.  
“It’s fine. I accept your apology, little one.”

Arten came and also hugged Abe as well.  
“Thank you for bringing her back directly. I hope your boss won't be mad because you are not on your tour as you probably should be.”  
“Don't worry, I'm my own boss and unpredictable odds happen all the time.”  
Abe eased the lynx.

Silver offered a smile.  
“What about we three bring Abe outside to his truck, so that he can finally start his tour?”  
She looked down to Leah and gave her a wink.  
“But this time... alone.”  
Leah nodded and took the paws of her parents.

“But before we do so, I still have a question to you Arty? Why did you lay to me about Leah being upstairs?”  
Silver wanted to know.  
„I would say he was afraid?”  
Abe guessed and Arten sighed.  
“I was because of little Mike. He is sick and needs all the attention he can get. Also you were quiet busy taking care of him. I did not want, that you were put under more stress than necessary.”  
„Really? Is that true?“  
Silver’s eyes began to light up and Arten saw a tear running down a cheek of his beloved wife.  
Arten took her face with both his paws wiped her tear away with his thumb and gave Silver a kiss on her lips.  
“Totally true. I wanted to take care about Leah all by myself and I even phoned everyone I knew...”  
Arten made suddenly big eyes and muzzlepalmed himself.  
“Not everyone...  
I did not call Abe...  
I... must have been so... so nervous... and... and... tensioned... I... I… I simply forgot…”  
Silver gave Arten a hug and a kiss on his cheek.  
“It's alright my love... Who also would have thought, that Leah is indeed with Abe?”  
He chuckled.

“Oh ta!  
Look at the time…”  
Leah finally started smiling again.  
„I have to go.“

The family brought Abe out to his truck.  
Silver and Arten were holding the paws of Leah just to be sure she really stays with them this time.  
“Oi! Little one!”  
Abe put a trucker cap way too big for the wolf-girl onto Leah’s head.  
“A little something to make the wait till next time a little less... boring.”

He started his engine, letting the air pressure build up, but as soon as it was high enough, he did something to show off and also put a bright smile on the little wolf-hybrid muzzle:  
Abe wound up the engine, until huge poff's of black smoke comes out of the pipes, engine roaring alongside of the turbo.

Arten lifted up the cap for Leah, so that his daughter had a clear view again.  
“I hope this won't wake up Mike.”  
Silver looked up to the window where Mike slept.  
“He won't... for sure... I know my boy very well.... Nothing can wake him up…”  
Arten answered but he just received a glare with a risen eyebrow form his wife.  
When Abe was ready, he let go of the clutch, and drove off, leaving a thick cloud of smoke behind. But before he was too far away, he pulled the air horn twice has a last goodbye.

The family was waving and shouting:  
“Have a save drive.”

As the three entered the Tavern again, Arten looked down to Leah with a sad expression and gulped.  
“Well Leah, there is now a small point left your mum and me have to discuss about: Your punishment.”  
“Your daddy is right. But first let's do something more important than that.”  
“What?”  
Father and daughter asked in unison.  
“Let's go silently upstairs to our poor Mikey and give him a get-well-hug. He could need some for sure.”  
Answered Silver with a big smile.  
Arten and Leah just joined her smile happily.

And so the three did go upstairs to the room where sick Mike is sleeping and are happy to finally be reunited again.


End file.
